Author
Topic: Will Droids become the new Clones? (Read 5216 times)

So, I couldn't help but notice all of the droids that were shown off at Toy Fair. Now I'm a huge droid enthusiast who's been waiting a decade for new droids that aren't C-3PO and R2-D2. We're getting the new Droid Factory sets, and the Build-A-Figure will consist of Protocol and Astromech droids. Now this is all fine and dandy, but I can't help but think back to the early days of AOTC and ROTS when all we were getting was white Clones. Hasbro started to pump out the colored Clones based on ones in the film, and around 2006/2007 they started going overboard with the colors. Now it's to the point where it seems like Hasbro is just making up colors, slapping together a backstory for a Clone Squadron, and putting them on the shelves. I'm scared that this same thing is going to happen with the droids.

Now granted, there are probably hundreds of millions of droids in the galaxy, so it's believable that some color schemes could actually exist in the "real" SW world. I'm just worried that Hasbro is going to start offering us "Felucia Camoflauge Astromech Droid!" or "Imperial Shadow Protocol Droid!" instead of something we'd all like to buy. Same thing that happened with the Clones; I'd rather not see Hasbro oversaturate the market with droids, since they appear to be pretty popular with everyone.

Hopefully I'm not coming off as negative, since I'm pretty pumped for these new sets. This is just some food for thought.

Diddy I agree with you, we already have seen some artro droids in hasbro flavors and i think if Hasbro can slap new colors on existing molds they will. hopefully it will be after they have done many of the droids we want first.

Well, from an aesthetic standpoint I'm not too concerned since there are billions if not trillions of droids in the galaxy, so any color scheme is pretty legitimate. Plus it makes a lot more sense that people will be customizing their droids or that they will come out of the factory in different colors for different functions or for different markets, than that the clonetroopers would throw all this crayola **** all over their military armor.

However, that inventions such as the "Camo Covert Astromech" will displace "real" (i.e. previously established) droids we would all prefer, is a very well-founded concern.

I don't mind getting astromech droids as long as they are with something else like those droid sets on in build a figure waves. I just hate buying them seperately on their own. I skip them almost everytime. Same with R2-D2. But it will be nice to have them in the collection now.

For example I would never buy that astromech for $8 in that new Hoth Battle Pack on it's own. But now that it is that new one and with the hood up Han I'll definately go for it.

I think the droid factory concept is the ONLY way we'd be getting droids like those two R7 models or even with the WalMart wave, figures like C-3PX. So from that stand-point, I think this concept is pretty good. Droids lend themselves to coming in parts and for Hasbro to pick two droids that can work modularly with each other is also a plus. I can see people mixing and matching different parts to have slightly different droids.

I also hope that Hasbro considers giving us some R6, R8 and R9 astromechs.

Do droid repaints really bug people though? The R2-KT's colors were pushing my limits of what I think looks cool, but it was the cause that sold the toy, not the toy of course, so as a figure it was acceptable...

Random other repaints of droids don't really need to make 100% sense though, so I'm cool with that aspect so long as it has some kind of limitation. Really though, R5 has blue legs on a red body, so the color combo's seem limitless due to the interchangeable nature of droids (3po's silver shin, another example I guess).

I'm cool with that for the most part then, as droids go. They don't seemingly overload us on droids at any one time either, even so far in 2008 it seems. Not a ton, and for the most part, they're a neat "extra" for collecting it all at the inflated price. I can accept that happily.

Yeah - the K-3PX that comes with Vader looks really cool. I guess the Shadow Protocol Droid is going to kinda come to pass with the release of this figure, but I'm okay with it since it looks like it has a unique head and torso sculpt with slightly modified arms and legs from 4-LOM and for me that's enough "new" about him to warrant a new figure.

Logged

Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!

I'd like to see the droid thing expand too as there's some gonk's left too...

That said, I agree with your choices wholehearted Scott. Those are my tops, though I'd add the creamcicle colored orange R5 from Mos Eisley to the lsit as well. Very noticeable in that one shot as he rolls on by, and his colors are so 70's retro while being a cool R5 (not enough of those repaints yet IMO).

Great customs Chewie!I would rather see made up Droids any day of the week over clones. I am cloned out. The Droids are easier to swallow in the variety of colors we are getting. After seeing what's coming we now we need Sae-See Tin's & Aayla's R2 unit from their starfighters. Maybe series 2 of the exclusive Droid factory.....